Because August keeps getting closer. It's both exciting and terrifying.

I'm a Burner virgin from Nova Scotia, Canada, and this is just the right year for me to do BM. I sort of devoured most of the older posts on this board (I used to keep myself amused at work writing lists for things I needed, things I had, etc.). I really thought things were all coming together, I have a flight into San Francisco (it was far cheaper), I have a ticket to BM, my friend and I were going to rent a box truck and camp out, experience everything we could and create some art and community.

But...now she can't go. So things have gotten a little more complicated. Camping out by myself and renting a huge truck and all that seems, well, lonely and expensive. We weren't going to try attaching ourselves to a theme camp, but now that seems like the best option.

If...just a little daunting. Hence the introduction, hi everyone! I've been making the people around me crazy for the last two years talking about Burning Man. Thought I'd say hi, because I need to figure some of this shit out. And I hope I see some of you guys on the playa.

Hello and welcome! Box trucks may a little hard to find in the San Francisco area so you might want to start checking in to them. Maybe a car or pickup truck would be cheaper if it's just going to be you.

The box truck idea was to soothe my fears about getting a rental car all mucked up and paying for the damages. I had been hoping to rent from Gentry Way Discount, but doing the petrol costs on my own isn't really sensible. Though I do worry about the dust getting into the rental car. (Well, no, it's not the dust getting in that worries me because there's no stopping that. It's getting the dust back out again.)

I like the cargo van option. I've called a couple of places and what isn't sold out isn't booking until later in the spring. I'm going to assume that's normal? The Sacramento budget guy said he couldn't book something for the end of August, it was too far out, and the Hengehold website states they don't deal with BM rentals until the end of May. But I'm thinking there's probably a fair few of us going to be calling on that date?

I would ask over the phone in a really friendly way the earliest date they will accept a reservation for the date I want. Then I'd literally call back on that day--and just try not to worry too much in the meantime.

Sure, there will be other people who are as timely or conscientious, but half the folks who are interested won't be so precise. You'll probably be fine.

*** 2017 Survival Guide ***"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger

Be very careful about making sure your truck will really be there. I had a cargo van reserved for 2 weeks with budget in Sacramento (I was renting the thing for 2 weeks, I made the reservation substantially ahead of time) but when I got to the airport I was told there were no vans available anywhere because they were all going to Burning Man. Ended up spending a night in a hotel somewhere near Sacramento and renting a Ford Escape in Sacramento the next day (It was the biggest thing I could find, I was going to sleep in the van so I had to buy a tent). It all worked out in the end, but the entire plan had to change based on the vehicle... Thank goodness the guy we rented our bikes from (Little shop at the Sands... uh...) had a bike rack that fit the escape fresh in the box he was willing to rent us for the week as well. Fitting my friends giant tent that she had shipped across the country into the tiny escape was an adventure in and of it's self.